New build - Hardcore gaming

[freaksavior]

The idea is a hardcore gaming pc for under $1500.

Case is set in stone, so cannot change that.

I wanted to do a Single SSD for the OS and dual drives for raid 1 for everything else (just my idea in case something happens)

So what I came up with is this.



Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$169.99

2 x SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4EG HD155UI 1.5TB 5400 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$119.98
($59.99 each)

XFX HD-695X-ZNFC Radeon HD 6950 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
$239.99


CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
$69.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-8GBRH
$64.99

Kingston DataTraveler 101 Gen 2 4GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive (Cyan) Model DT101G2/4GBZ
$0.00


ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$169.99

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
$314.99

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit
$99.99

Scythe SY1225SL12H 120mm "Slipstream" Case Fan (89cfm/32dba)
$19.98
($9.99 each)

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler I5 775 AMD compatible
$34.99

XIGMATEK ACK-I5361 Intel Core i7/Core i5/1155 compatible Bracket Set
$9.99

LITE-ON Black Internal 12X Blu-ray Combo with SW SATA Model iHES112-29
$74.99

OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTX60G 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive
$99.99

Total:: $1,505.00

 

[Dangman]

It would help if you answered the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better.

Though I can already see several issues with that setup already.

 

[freaksavior]

Not sure how your post was useful but I'll humor you anyway

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

It in the title. Hardcore gaming

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

It's at the end of the summary of parts. 1500 shipped

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

USA, Houston Texas

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.

I listed everything I need

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

Answered in number 4

6) Will you be overclocking?

Most likely

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?

23" 1920x1080

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

Within two weeks

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.

Most p67/z68 have all of that except onboard video. So all of those features would be nice.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

7 home premium 64bit

Why do you see "issues:?

 

[Dangman]

The issues that I see (working from down to up):

- That OCZ SSD is a piss poor choice on account of several things:
In the beginning, its real world performance is/was significantly lower than what the stated specs say. So despite boasting higher stated speeds than Intel or Crucial SSDs, its actual real world performance was significantly lower than either of those brand's SSDs to the point that people could tell when they were using an OCZ or Intel SSD. On top of that, OCZ did a nand change a few months back that further lowered the performance of that SSD. Not to mention the numerous issues people have had with that particular SSD. Then there is OCZ's relatively poor customer support. If you want a SSD that's actually reliable and can provide most of its stated performance while being backed by a solid company, go for any of these faster SSDs:
$115 - Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SSD
$140 - Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 64GB SSD w/ USB to SATA Adapter and Drive Cloning software
$219 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SSD
$229 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SSD w/ USB to SATA Adapter and Drive Cloning software
$278 - Intel 510 Series SSDSC2MH120A2K5 2.5" 120GB SSD
$406 - Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2 2.5" 256GB SSD
$425 - Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 256GB SSD w/ USB to SATA Adapter and Drive Cloning software
$580 - Intel 510 Series SSDSC2MH250A2K5 2.5" 250GB SSD

- With the cost of the bracket factored in, that Xigmatek HSF is overprices as hell. Especially considering that there are slightly better performing HSF that costs less:
$28 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156

If you want to stick with Xigmatek for whatever reason:
$30 - Xigmatek Gaia SD1283 120mm HSF

Either way, the HSF you chose is overpriced

- Since you're only gaming, zero reason to go with the Core i7 2600K unless you just want to burn money. There is little difference between the 2600K and 2500K when it comes to gaming. So the Core i5 2500K is more than enough for hardcore gaming. And that freed up ~$100 can be better used elsewhere.

- That 3.0 version of that Asus mobo has higher than average failure/issue rates. Just look through the Newegg comments as well as the motherboard subforum. Considering that the Rev 3.1 only came out a short while ago, it is unclear as to whether or not it truly is more stable than its older revision. Until then, I cannot recommend that mobo.

If you can buy within the next 7 days, I recommend these CPU + mobo combo deals:
$330 - Intel Core i5 2500K CPU + MSI P67A-G43 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard Combo
$365 - Intel Core i5 2500K CPU + MSI P67A-GD65 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard Combo
$420 - Intel Core i7 2600K CPU + MSI P67A-G43 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard Combo
$460 - Intel Core i7 2600K CPU + MSI P67A-GD65 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard Combo

- That RAM is overpriced as there is little to no real world performance difference between the lower latency/higher speed RAM and higher latency/lower speed RAM with the SB CPUs. So unless you want to spend an extra $15 to $20 for a mere 1% increase under the most ideal of conditions, just save your money and go with either of these RAM:
$45 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$50 - G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

- That power supply is a bit underpowered for a HD 6950 + Core i7 2600K overclocking. Not to mention it's actually overpriced due to having the amperage rating of a 500W PSU. So all in all, not a good buy from the get go. If you can buy within the next 7 days, I recommend buying the case and PSU together from this combo link:
$290 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case + Corsair 750HX 750W Modular PSU

- For a hardcore gaming PC, I would not go with two 5400RPM drives in RAID 1. At least go for 7200RPM drives in RAID 1 unless you value storage space over performance:
$60 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

I probably missed a few things but those are the "big" issues that I see with your current build.

 

[freaksavior]

Thanks. So far i've got

Currently listed

2 x SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
($59.99 each)


XFX HD-695X-CNFC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
$274.99

Team Xtreem LV Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) Desktop Memory Model TXD34096M2000HC9KDC-L
$49.99

ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$159.99

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
$219.99

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit
$139.99

LITE-ON Black Internal 12X Blu-ray Combo with SW SATA Model iHES112-29
$74.99

OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-60G 2.5" 60GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
$94.99

Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
$249.9

Total $1,397.00

 

[Deleted member 88227]

You are still listing the OCZ SSD, which is not recommended.

 

[Dangman]

Still a few issues with that setup:
- That RAM will only limit you to about 12GB of RAM in the future. In addition, it's rated at 1.65V, which is the max RAM voltage for the Core i series CPUs. We generally recommend RAM rated at 1.5V to avoid any potential issues. In fact, just the other day I read a thread on this forum where a guy was denied warranty service from Intel because he used RAM rated at 1.65V with his Core i7 920 CPU. So yeah, go for a 1.5V RAM. Also note that higher speed RAM does not provide any noticeable increase in performance with the Sandy Bridge CPUs. In fact, even if you had RAM rated at DDR3 2400 speeds, it still perform the same as DDR3 1333 RAM

- That AsRock mobo only has a one year warranty. In addition, PCI-E 3.0 isn't really useful at this point in time or even for the next 5 years. I highly recommend the MSI mobos mentioned above

- Unless there are features of Windows 7 Pro that you're actually planning on using, I'm more than willing to bet that all you need is Windows 7 Home Premium

- Due to OCZ's past SSD history, poor customer support, and the fact that all of the late-gen Sandforce SSDs have an inherent BSOD issue, I do not recomend that OCZ SSD at all. Again, go with the above SSDs.

 

[kevineugenius]

That RAM is an odd choice and I have to agree with other posters after reading scads of reviews and whatnot on SSDs, OCZ seems like a good brand to avoid and Crucial seems like the one to buy.

Also, I've been in the 1.65v boat and it sucks. Never going back. Go 1.5v or go home imho. The G.Skill Ripjaws X series is on sale today for the same price as standard Ripjaws PLUS it has a $10 promo code so... $40 for 2x4gb N82E16820231426

 

[freaksavior]

Okay, noted.

No OCZ, I think i'm going to skip the ssd in all.
Ram, i'll look at other ram, I haven't kept up with the pc hardware much the last year so I honestly didn't know the voltage was an issue.

I'll look at the mobo from MSI.

3 x SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
($59.99 each)
Raid 5

XFX HD-695X-CNDC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
$279.99

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9
$57.99

ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$159.99

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
$314.99

I am still debating on the i5/i7 I know you said ht doens't help much.

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit
$99.99

LG Black Blu-ray Drive SATA Model UH12LS28 OEM LightScribe Support - OEM
$57.99

Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
$249.9

$1,400.89

With the mobo combo $1,394.49

I was thinking http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...240_Universal_CPU_Water_Cooling_Kit_-HOT.html for cooling.

 

[kevineugenius]

While you're looking, I'd recommend a Gigabyte mobo. I got the z68 ud4 and I love it. Was on sale for $150 when I picked it up.

 

[Dangman]

No OCZ, I think i'm going to skip the ssd in all.

Why? You have the budget for a good solid SSD man. In fact, the Crucial m4 SSD was only $20 more than your other OCZ SSD choices. That's well within your budget. In addition, that SSD will make more of a difference than a 2600K.

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9
$57.99

Again, DDR3 1600 RAM does not offer a noticeable real world performance increase over DDR3 1333 RAM. As such it's not worth the extra $8 over this RAM:
$50 - G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$159.99

Gonna repeat myself:
That AsRock mobo only has a one year warranty. In addition, PCI-E 3.0 isn't really useful at this point in time or even for the next 5 years. Considering that current GPUs aren't even stressing PCI-E 1.1, it's gonna be a long long time before PCI-E 3.0 becomes needed. By then PCI-E 4.0 will be out and whatever CPU you have in the system would be too old. So I highly recommend the MSI mobos mentioned above as they have three year warranties.

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
$314.99

I am still debating on the i5/i7 I know you said ht doens't help much.

Yes in gaming, HT does not help. You're better spending that extra money on a SSD rather than a 2600K for a gaming only PC.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

I concur, go with a 2500K unless you don't plan to OC, then don't get the K version. Also go with an SSD since it's well within' your budget and will be the biggest noticeable upgrade you'll get. Also, as Danny said DDR3 1333 will perform just as well as DDR3 1600, but cost less. Also for hardcore gaming rig, I don't see the need for a Bluray drive either as I don't think games will be coming out on Bluray for a while, so a DVD drive should be suffice but in the future should a game be released only on BR, then upgrading it then should be cheaper and it will not be difficult.

 

[freaksavior]

Okay is this better?



Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$179.99

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
($49.99 each)

XFX HD-695X-CNFC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
$274.99

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
$94.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL
$49.99

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD4-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$159.99

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Qu
$219.99

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit
$91.98

LG Black Blu-ray Drive SATA Model UH12LS28 OEM LightScribe Support
$69.99

Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
$114.99

Subtotal: $1,356.88

And cooling I was thinking http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...240_Universal_CPU_Water_Cooling_Kit_-HOT.html

 

[Dangman]

Okay is this better?
Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$179.99

....

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
$94.99

Why did you drop from the Case + PSU combo you had earlier? Stick with it as it is cheaper AND gets you a better quality PSU. The Corsair 650TX is the older version the Corsair 650TX V2. You want the 650TX V2 as it is newer, updated, and performs better. So stick with that combo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.703125

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD4-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$159.99

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Qu
$219.99

Not a fan of that Gigabyte mobo since it lacks onboard which is stupid for a Z68 chipset mobo. As such, it's not really a worthwhile choice. Plus I'd rather use the UEFI interface of the MSI mobos rather than the old BIOs interface that the Gigabyte mobos have.

And cooling I was thinking http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...240_Universal_CPU_Water_Cooling_Kit_-HOT.html

You should hit up the Water Cooling subforum for advice on that kit.

 

[Flogger23m]

Don't buy Samsung and don't buy Windows 7.

Get Vista 64bit instead. Faster, less issues, and a far cleaner and more usable UI. Just upgraded to Windows 7 myself today, and it has been disaster after fucking disaster. Steam gets corrupted, can't find my Shitsung DVD drive, constant stuttering. Just stick with Vista 64bit.

If Samsungs HDDs are anything like their DVD drives they will constantly be dying. And you won't be able to make them compatible because they hide their drivers/firmware. When you do find it, the .exe won't run. In addition, their 24 inch monitors are blurry as hell.

 

[Dangman]

Don't buy Samsung and don't buy Windows 7.

Get Vista 64bit instead. Faster, less issues, and a far cleaner and more usable UI. Just upgraded to Windows 7 myself today, and it has been disaster after fucking disaster. Steam gets corrupted, can't find my Shitsung DVD drive, constant stuttering. Just stick with Vista 64bit.

If Samsungs HDDs are anything like their DVD drives they will constantly be dying. And you won't be able to make them compatible because they hide their drivers/firmware. When you do find it, the .exe won't run. In addition, their 24 inch monitors are blurry as hell.

Dude, I understand you're feeling frustrated and probably angry about your current situation, but no need to make an irrational rant on another thread.

OP, I'd disregard what this guy is saying. Windows 7 performs better than Vista and Samsung drives are well regarded. Especially the ones you chose. The guy has a bad experience with a Samsung DVD burner and Windows 7 and now he's just making a blanket statement.

 

[BurntToast]

With the Crucial M4 being talking about, what are your thoughts on the stuttering issue? Eveyone seems to recomend it, but the stuttering issue seems like a real PITA.

 

[Dangman]

With the Crucial M4 being talking about, what are your thoughts on the stuttering issue? Eveyone seems to recomend it, but the stuttering issue seems like a real PITA.

As far as I know, it's an extremely rare issue. In addition, IIRC, there's a firmware update that fixes it.

 

[Flogger23m]

Dude, I understand you're feeling frustrated and probably angry about your current situation, but no need to make an irrational rant on another thread.

OP, I'd disregard what this guy is saying. Windows 7 performs better than Vista and Samsung drives are well regarded. Especially the ones you chose. The guy has a bad experience with a Samsung DVD burner and Windows 7 and now he's just making a blanket statement.

Two defective monitors, four Samsung DVD drive returns with Samsung. The Spinpoint HDDs are far louder than their WD or Seagate counter parts. Its just an opinion, take it for what it is worth.

 

[levk]

60G is too small for Windows. You will not be able to install games here, which is really the only reason to go SSD at all. 120G is good enough for Windows and 2-3 modern games with patches and everything. User folder goes somewhere else, goes without saying. You need the 240G drives to really feel free, but I understand the budget. I went with 120G myself.

 

[freaksavior]

Why did you drop from the Case + PSU combo you had earlier? Stick with it as it is cheaper AND gets you a better quality PSU. The Corsair 650TX is the older version the Corsair 650TX V2. You want the 650TX V2 as it is newer, updated, and performs better. So stick with that combo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.703125

Not a fan of that Gigabyte mobo since it lacks onboard which is stupid for a Z68 chipset mobo. As such, it's not really a worthwhile choice. Plus I'd rather use the UEFI interface of the MSI mobos rather than the old BIOs interface that the Gigabyte mobos have.


You should hit up the Water Cooling subforum for advice on that kit.

I couldn't find the case+psu combo again but thanks for the link I guess I simply failed at that one lol.

I've always liked gigabyte boards but i'll read some comparing reviews of the two.

As far as samsung, i've never one had a issue from the several years i've used them. OS wise, 7 is exactly what you said about vista. Streamlined, better ui, lessy buggy. Visa is bloatware and I upgraded out of it as soon as beta 7 was available.

I concur, go with a 2500K unless you don't plan to OC, then don't get the K version. Also go with an SSD since it's well within' your budget and will be the biggest noticeable upgrade you'll get. Also, as Danny said DDR3 1333 will perform just as well as DDR3 1600, but cost less. Also for hardcore gaming rig, I don't see the need for a Bluray drive either as I don't think games will be coming out on Bluray for a while, so a DVD drive should be suffice but in the future should a game be released only on BR, then upgrading it then should be cheaper and it will not be difficult.

I see your point on blu ray, but it's the movie standard now, I think it's going to be the standard period before long and I would rather get it now since they are not terrible expensive.

 

[Dangman]

I see your point on blu ray, but it's the movie standard now, I think it's going to be the standard period before long and I would rather get it now since they are not terrible expensive.

Do note that the blu-ray playback software that sometimes comes with those blu-ray drives are well renowned as being crap. Lower quality of playback, choppiness, setup issues, etc. Hence why a lot of Blu-ray users, at least the ones over in the HTPC subforum, pay for 3rd party playback software. The most recommended blu-ray playback software is the $100 Arcsoft TotalMedia Theatre 5. So just for good quality and smooth blu-ray playback, you're looking at a total of $175. You can get a brand new PS3 for around $250 these days. Decent standalone blu-ray players can be found for around $100 to $200 these days.

So it might be more cost-effective and will be less of a hassle if you buy a standalone blu-ray player or PS3 than the software + blu-ray drive.

 

[freaksavior]

Aware of that, thanks. I have blu ray in my dads htpc and we stream the blu rays to all the other computers with TMT5.


Edit: Also put in the MSI board, the UEFI bios was appealing.

 

[Dangman]

Aware of that, thanks. I have blu ray in my dads htpc and we stream the blu rays to all the other computers with TMT5.

Ah cool cool. Then sorry for the long explanation then. Quite a few guys here on the forums that buys blu-ray drives without knowing about the issues with it.

Edit: Also put in the MSI board, the UEFI bios was appealing.

Cool.

 

[BurntToast]

60G is too small for Windows. You will not be able to install games here, which is really the only reason to go SSD at all. 120G is good enough for Windows and 2-3 modern games with patches and everything. User folder goes somewhere else, goes without saying. You need the 240G drives to really feel free, but I understand the budget. I went with 120G myself.

Huh?!??!

I have a SSD. I sure in the hell didnt buy it for games and enjoy it every day.

Windows loads hella faster, my primary applications open faster and best of all everything feels more snappy. I have a secondary WD Black 2TB drives for my games. Currently I'm using about 600GB of that drives for my games.

Sure SSD guys will join the fight a full 5+ seconds ahead of me. But for the most part they have to wait until the ready timer is hit anyways. So I could care less about being in an empty game early. My black drive is faster than most people anyway, so I'm still one of the first people in game.

If I was super anal about it I'd install my primary game(s) on the ssd, but so far I haven't had the reason too.

OP stick with the 60gb and use a FAST HDD for your games. Those 5400rpm might be a little laggy if you are going to use them for game installs.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

I see your point on blu ray, but it's the movie standard now, I think it's going to be the standard period before long and I would rather get it now since they are not terrible expensive.

Right, but you never mentioned you'd be watching movies on the gaming computer. Also if you have an HTPC that you stream bluray movies across the network, well yeah. I'd probably put the money else where, but that's just me.

 

[freaksavior]

Yeah, but i'm going to be a stick in the mud, I still want one.

Anyway I think that will complete this, I appreciate the help guys.

 

[Jon55]

Don't buy Samsung and don't buy Windows 7.

Get Vista 64bit instead. Faster, less issues, and a far cleaner and more usable UI. Just upgraded to Windows 7 myself today, and it has been disaster after fucking disaster. Steam gets corrupted, can't find my Shitsung DVD drive, constant stuttering. Just stick with Vista 64bit.

If Samsungs HDDs are anything like their DVD drives they will constantly be dying. And you won't be able to make them compatible because they hide their drivers/firmware. When you do find it, the .exe won't run. In addition, their 24 inch monitors are blurry as hell.

This post...where to even start...

OP, this guy has no idea what he's talking about. Either he's just been extremely unlucky or is trolling hardcore.

 

[jbz7890]

I think you should consider a better video card, perhaps a 6970 or GTX 570.

 

[gkg101]

Why is 60g too small for Windows? And wouldn't the idea to be improve overall system performance making SSD worthwhile?

 

[Deleted member 88227]

Yeah, but i'm going to be a stick in the mud, I still want one.

Anyway I think that will complete this, I appreciate the help guys.

I'm not gonna disagree. I built a similar system last year, gaming was the main focus but I also use it as a media center, so I opted to go with a Bluray drive as well. Though when the time comes for me to build a stand alone HTPC, I'll take the bluray drive out of this system and buy a DVD burner.